Comfortably Numb

Today is Monday, February 5, 2018. Day 21,879.

Cory Wells (Three Dog Night), born on this date in 1941 (died 2015) said, “My last name is Wellsley, but a lot of people say it’s Lowendowski, which is my mother’s last name, and I had it changed to my father’s when I was 18.”
BrainyQuote

The word for today, from Merriam-Webster, is spavined, an adjective which means, “affected with swelling.” Also, “old and decrepit : over the hill.” I find the juxtaposition of those two definitions both amusing and dismaying.

We wound up not going to the SB party last night, as C wasn’t feeling 100%. She had a bit of a cough, and just wasn’t feeling good. S had spent part of the afternoon feeling poorly, as well, so we decided to not go. I didn’t want to go by myself.

We did watch the game, though, which turned out to be about the most exciting SuperBowl game I have ever seen. There was only one punt, few penalties, only two turnovers, and it went down to the last second. Exactly how a championship game should go. Of course, technically, all games go down to the last second, but this game could have gone either way at the end. Of course, the best the Pats could do at that point was tie the game with a TD and 2 point conversion, forcing overtime. But last night was the “Iggles'” night. Nick Foles was stellar, and the coach made some bold and daring play calls, one of which proved to be the deciding play of the game. I believe I heard the announcers say that it was the only time in SuperBowl history that a quarterback caught a touchdown pass.

It’s Monday, so it’s back to work for us. Band practice tonight.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 
My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. 
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! 
I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 
Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 
What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 
He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 
Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 
The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalm 34

This is a great Psalm. I have long found great comfort and refuge in the verses of Psalm 34. The common theme seems to be deliverance. Note that, again, there is no promise that God’s children will not see troubles or afflictions. We most definitely will. However, he will deliver us from those troubles and afflictions. And pulling all of this together, in my opinion, is verse 8, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”

We often make statements, somewhat flippantly, that “God is in control.” But do we really believe that? Thanks to Daily Guideposts 2018, I have “stumbled” onto a verse that I don’t remember noticing before. I’ve read it before, of course. But obviously did not take note of it. Jeremiah 10:23 says, “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” The prophet then continues with this prayer: “Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.”

So, yes. God IS truly in control. We may think we are, but we don’t even have the ability to direct our own steps.

In The Finishing Touch, Charles Swindoll talks about ruts. The central person in today’s reading is Henri Nouwen, who, in his book In the Name of Jesus, confesses to being in a rut for close to half of his life.

“As I entered into my fifties and was able to realize the unlikelihood of doubling my years, I came face to face with the simple question, ‘Did becoming older bring me closer to Jesus?’ After twenty-five years of priesthood, I found myself praying poorly, living somewhat isolated from other people, and very much preoccupied with burning issues. . . . something inside was telling me that my success was putting my own soul in danger. . . . I woke up one day with the realization that I was living in a very dark place and that the term ‘burnout’ was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death.”

At this point, Henri asked God to show him where to go. But he prayed specifically, asking God to be direct and not vague about it. Says Nouwen, “God said, ‘Go and live among the poor in spirit, and they will heal you.'” He left his “prestigious role as a distinguished professor” and moved to the L’Arche community for mentally handicapped people.

“The lessons awaiting Nouwen were numerous: some painful, a few humiliating, but all of the then necessary. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he experienced a change deep withing his own being. The master teacher learned to be the humble servant . . . the self-confident, proud individualist became a compassionate, caring friend.”

How entrenched am I in my ruts? Says Swindoll, “this rut of religious activity can numb our souls.” Sometimes I fear that my soul has been numbed, indeed. Like Nouwen, I find myself, lately, praying poorly. I will be sixty years old in just over two months. But I’m not too old to jump out of the “rut of religious activity” and try to make a difference in my life. Yesterday morning, our pastor spoke a message from John 12, focusing on verses 24-25, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

To save my life, I have to give it up. What will that look like?

One thing I know. Looking back up at the Psalm that began today’s devotional, I know that God will deliver me. He will pull me out of this rut and show me the way. I have before, and I know I will again, “taste and see that the LORD is good!”

Father, show me the way. Draw me out of the rut of activity that I have sunk into. The activities, themselves are not bad. But I need a fresh encounter with you, along with the establishments of some disciplines to propel me closer to you and your kingdom. Show me the way. Direct my steps, because when I try to direct them, they go awry.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Dear Father always near us, may your name be treasured and loved, may your rule be completed in us – may your will be done here on earth in just the way it is done in heaven. Give us today the things we need today, and forgive us our sins and impositions on you as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us. Please don’t put us through trials, but deliver us from everything bad. Because you are the one in charge, and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours – forever – which is just the way we want it! (Dallas Willard)

Grace and peace, friends.

Abandoned for What?

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”~~Jack London
(BrainyQuote)

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is canoodle, which means “caress, fondle, or pet amorously.”

Today is Girl Scout Day. For all the cookies.

We had a great time last night. As I was driving home, talking to Christi and Stephanie on the phone, we decided to drive over to Lake Worth and have dinner at Ginger Brown’s Old Tyme Restaurant. We had not been there in probably close to 20 years. It was still as good as we remembered it, and they still give you free cinnamon rolls with every meal. The cinnamon rolls were also as good as we remembered, if not better.

After that, we came home (after stopping at Sonic for drinks), and watched this week’s episode of Major Crimes. Then I played Fallout 4 until mumblemumble o’clock.

I woke up at 7:30! I can’t sleep past 7:30 for some reason. That’s kind of aggravating when you stay up until mumblemumble o’clock playing Fallout 4.

After I finish this, we are going to go get the groceries, then we will pack and head to Glen Rose for three nights! Our favorite place on earth!! Tomorrow is my birthday, which is the reason for this trip. And we decided to switch it up a little bit and stay Saturday-Tuesday, this time, instead of Thursday-Sunday. After all . . . I don’t want to have to come home on my birthday, right? We are very excited, and really looking forward to some pie!!

In the 2016-is-the-year-of-celebrity-apocalypse category, I looked at Facebook yesterday afternoon to have my world severely rattled by the news of Keith Emerson’s death. Keith Emerson was keyboardist and founding member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, one of my top favorite groups from the seventies. He was 71 years old. To make it worse, it has been revealed that he apparently committed suicide, because he was suffering from some kind of nerve disorder that was affecting his ability to play. My roommate from my seminary days was equally rattled, perhaps even more than me. “Wow!!! I have no words. He was probably the strongest musical influence in my life. The world has changed. It will never be the same. RIP Keith Emerson,” he said. Here is a clip of an ELP performance from 1974 at the famous California Jam. Of course, I was not there, but I watched as much as I could on TV. I remember seeing this, hanging on every note that they played.

Here’s another clip that demonstrates his masterful piano playing. This man was not just a rock musician.

Then today, I learned that Gayle McCormick, lead singer of the group Smith, from the sixties or seventies (I can’t remember), died on March 1.

I’m compiling a list. We’ve lost at least 32 music/acting celebrities so far this year. I’ve probably missed some, too.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:7-10

Just because someone is young does not eliminate them from the possibility of disaster. People who are suffering should not “look enviously at the ‘young lions’ who appear not to have a care in the world.” Our security comes from God. “Wholeness of life is reserved for those who share his life.”

“Father, make me more attentive to the realities of your presence than to the illusions of the world, more trusting in the ‘angels of the Lord’ and less envious of the ‘young lions.’ I wait upon you in my need for the wholeness you promise in Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.”

“Lord, if I could truly wrap my mind around the magnitude of Your grace, I would never be able to get up off my knees.” (Katie Ganshert in Daily Guidposts 2016)

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”
Mark 10:25

Today’s reading is “Abandonment.”

“Our Lord replies in effect, that abandonment is for Himself, and not for what the disciples themselves will get from it.” Chambers cautions us against a “commercial spirit” in our so-called abandonment. You know what he means . . . “I am going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” But, he says, “Abandonment is not for anything at all. we have got so commercialized that we only go to God for something from Him, and not for Himself.”

This really speaks to me, because I have grappled with this for years. Still grappling, too. “If we only give up something to God because we want more back, there is nothing of the Holy spirit in our abandonment; it is miserable commercial self-interest.”

Father, keep speaking to me about this. It is one of Chambers’s favorite topics, abandonment. And the idea that we typically only give things up because we want something else in return is so spot on. This is pretty much the crux of modern Christianity. Steer us away from this idea, Father, and teach to come to you for you alone. Sure, we will pray for things, and we normally will pray for tangible things. But, in the midst of this, let us also pray to simply have you.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Grace and peace, friends.

Walk In the Light of the Vision

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”~~Victor Hugo
(BrainyQuote)

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is “psittacism,” which means “mechanical, repetitive, and meaningless speech.”

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is “psittacism,” which means “mechanical, repetitive, and meaningless speech.”

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is “psittacism,” which means “mechanical, repetitive, and meaningless speech.”

Today is Middle Name Pride Day. Celebrate that middle name! For many of us, it is a name handed down from grandparents and/or other relatives. Mine is Wayne. My granddaddy’s was Wayne. If I’m not mistaken, my uncle’s is also Wayne.

It’s Friday!! Tomorrow, we get to go back to Glen Rose! It’s been a whole year, since we had that vacation trip to Mexico last October. We have missed our little slice of heaven on earth.

I don’t have much else to write about this morning, so on to the devotional.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
Psalm 34:4-6

Like Adam and Eve in the garden, we sometimes attempt to hide from God when we think he will disapprove of us, because of something we have or have not done. The Psalmist knows a different experience. He knows that God cares about our needs and will hear our cries to him. Therefore, he writes, “Those who look to him are radiant.”

“Blessed be your name, O God. You never disappoint me; you hear every cry; you satisfy every need; you banish my fears. In Jesus Christ you are in all and have become all to me. Hallelujah! Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, (Acts 26:19)

Today’s reading is “Vision.”

“If we lose the vision, we alone are responsible, and the way we lose the vision is by spiritual leakage.” I love this sentence. We must take our beliefs about God into the practical issues of the day. To be obedient to the “heavenly vision,” we must give “our utmost for God’s highest.” The true test is not in the times of prayer and devotion. Sure, I do this devotional thing every morning, and then I pray most of the way to work. But what happens in the “sixty seconds of every minute, and the sixty minutes of every hour,” for the rest of the day? That is where it really matters, and that is where I struggle the most.

Sometimes, “we get so practical that we forget the vision.” This is a major danger for the Christian worker, getting caught up in the mundane workings of a thing, and completely forgetting God’s hand in it. The work becomes an idol. “It is at the peril of our soul’s welfare that we get caught up in practical work and miss the fulfilment [sic] of the vision.”

We must let our feet walk in “in the light of the vision.”

Father, I have experienced this many times. I have failed to let my feet walk in the light of your vision. I pray against that, that you would keep the vision, if there is one, at the front of my mind and heart. Do I currently have a vision? Perhaps I’m struggling with that, right now, as well. Though it tarry, I will wait for it. Show me your ways, that I may find favor with you, Father.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Grace and peace, friends.

The Message Must Be Part of Me

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”~~Mother Teresa
(BrainyQuote)

Today’s word of the day, from the Oxford English Dictionary, is ridibund, which means, “Inclined to laughter; happy, lively.”

Today is Mario Day. You know . . . the Nintendo Mario. So grab some pizza and get out your Nintendo game system.

Well, we finished Downton Abbey last night. The two hour series finale was bittersweet. But I believe that they wrapped up all of the story lines satisfactorily. And they made Christi cry at least fifteen times. I only cried three or four. I’m not going into any detail, here, in case there are readers who may not have seen it, yet.

It’s Thursday, which means it’s almost Friday, which means we’ll be heading to Glen Rose and Paluxy River Bed Cabins very soon! We are so looking forward to this weekend! We are taking Monday and Tuesday of next week off, so we’ll have a four-day weekend. Sadly (but not too sadly), we are switching cabins this year. Our previous favorite, the Cedar House, is a two story, with stairs. As our knees and other body parts get older, the stairs have gotten more difficult to navigate, so we will be staying at one of the single story cabins, this time. We have been told by the owners that the one we are staying at has the best view, though.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
Psalm 34:1-3

“All the great words of praise come, not from those who have never known suffering, but from those who have known God’s help in it. Praising God is not the naive optimism of the sheltered, but the hearty realism of the delivered.

“‘The Lord I will at all times bless,
my mouth His praises shall express;
in Him shall all my boasting be,
while all the meek rejoice with me.
O magnify the Lord with me,
let us to praise His name agree;
I sought the Lord, He answered me,
and from my fears He set me free’
(‘The Lord I will at All Times Bless,’ The Psalter, 1912). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

. . . preach the word; (2 Timothy 4:2)

We are not all “preachers,” but we all have a message. We are also more than just “channels” or “spiritual mediums.” We are “spiritual messengers; the message must be part of ourselves.” Jesus, the Son of God, “was His own message. His words were spirit and life; and as His disciples our lives must be the sacrament of our message.”

Father, make my life to be my message. As I grow in you, I pray that the life of Christ would become my life. This is my daily prayer. Make my life and the message of the Gospel become so intertwined that they are inseparable.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Grace and peace, friends.

Taste and See!

Good morning afternoon. It is Sunday, April 19, 2015.

Today’s Word of the Day is dessicate. It is a verb, meaning, “to dry up or become dried up,” “to preserve (a food) by drying : dehydrate,” or, “to drain of emotional or intellectual vitality.” Yesterday just about left me dessicated.

Today is Garlic Day. I love garlic, so I’m happy to celebrate this day. I will certainly try to make sure I have something garlicky.

Yesterday was an emotional day, perhaps more so than any other in the last ten days. I’m not quite sure I can identify why. We went up to the Medical Center of Arlington between 9:30 and 10:00 yesterday morning. My mother had called while we were on our way to say that the transport was coming to take my dad to Mineral Wells at 10:30. We would be driving Mom in our car. In one way, it was a very exciting day, because, even though my dad would not be going “home,” per se, he would be back in Mineral Wells, their home town. Mom would get to spend her first night in her home in ten days.

But for some reason, when the transport arrived, and they began the process of moving Dad from the hospital bed to the gurney (or whatever you call those things), I became very emotional, to the point of tears. They got him strapped in, and took him to the vehicle, a non-emergency ambulance-type vehicle, and we went to our car. The drive to Mineral Wells was a good drive, uneventful, with good conversation. We arrived at Mineral Wells Nursing and Rehabilitation only minutes after the transport, and after a moment of confusion, were able to locate where they had taken Dad. They were just moving him to his bed at the facility when we found the room. The nurse who would be taking care of him for that day turned out to be the niece of a guy that I played Pony League baseball with back in the day! She was very sweet, and will be his nurse for at least a few days a week. Her name, it turns out, is Rachel, which is, of course, the name of our oldest daughter. One of the other nurses in that area is named Stephanie. How crazy is that?? I couldn’t decide if that was a “sign” or not.

Anyway, they got him settled in, Mom signed a few forms, and we headed to the house. Mom was so glad to be home! We got her stuff in the house, then Mom and Christi looked over things in the fridge that might be expired, and came up with a few things that we would need to get while we were out. Then Mom and Christi went across the street to get the mail from a good neighbor friend of theirs. They were gone for a few minutes, because the neighbor loves to talk. 🙂 I fell asleep for a bit, during that time.

After they got back, Mom sorted the mail, and we took her to Pulido’s for lunch. We had a very nice lunch there, then stopped at Dollar General on the way back to the house to get the few items that she felt like she needed for the house. When we got back to the house, they got a phone call, which turned out to be a weather alert. It seems a severe thunderstorm was heading that way from the west. So, at Mom’s insistence, we hurried out to the rehab place, took some pajama pants and a few other items to Dad’s room, and went back to the house so we could hurry back to Fort Worth before the storm hit. Right before we left, the sweetest thing happened. Christi, Stephanie, and I were standing out in the hall while Mom helped Dad “take care of some business.” Stephanie, with tears in her eyes, said that she really felt like we should pray over her Grandpa. Of course, we agreed, so when Mom opened the door again, we we gathered around him, joined hands (his included), and prayed together for him. It felt really good, and I have to say his grip was surprisingly strong.

We left him there, alone (that word really hit me hard, later in the evening), took Mom back to the house, and left here there, alone. This is significant, because in their 58 years of marriage, they have hardly ever been apart from one another. The severe weather sirens were sounding in Mineral Wells as we drove out of town, barely ahead of the dark clouds. I called my mother on the way, to check on her, and she was fine. They had only gotten a good bit of rain and some high winds. She thought she might have heard some small hail, but everything was okay. About 20-30 minutes after we got home, it hit our area with some really high winds and rain. There was some lightning and thunder, much to Tessie’s (dog) dismay, but that was about it.

Somewhere around 9:00 last night, I got hit with a terrible sadness, thinking that my father was alone in that nursing home room. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was feeling, hoping that he didn’t feel abandoned. He knows how much we love him. And I think he knows that, in his current state, there is no way he could be at home with Mom, unless they had some home health care person there, as well. And that may be something that happens in the future. Nevertheless, I had an overwhelming period of deep sadness. I feel better this morning. One of Mom’s friends (the one who got the mail) is supposed to take her up to the rehab place this afternoon. She should be calling us afterward with an update.

We aren’t going back out there today, unless something happens where we are needed. Today is mostly resting. There are a few mundane things that need to be done, but it will be mostly resting, which we badly need. Christi is still not well from the sore throat and coughing she had earlier in the week.

It was on this date in 1971 that Charles Manson was sentenced to death for “Tate/LaBianca” murders. Ironically, he is still alive. This is due to the fact that, in 1972, California abolished the death penalty, at which time all of the Manson “family” sentences were automatically converted to life in prison.

Today’s birthdays include Deaf Smith (American revolutionary), Ole Evinrude (Norwegian-American inventor), Dick Sargent (actor, Bewitched), Jayne Mansfield (actress), Dudley Moore (musician/actor), Elinor Donahue (actress, Father Knows Best), Tim Curry (actor), Al Unser, Jr. (race car driver), Ashley Judd (actress), James Franco (actor), Kate Hudson (actress), Joe Mauer (baseball player), and Maria Sharapova (tennis player).

Dudley Moore was probably best known for either his role as Bo Derek’s stalker in 10, or as the tragically lovable drunk in Arthur. What many people may not know is that he was an accomplished piano player, as well. I was delighted when I discovered, many years ago, that he played the piano part on this Larry Norman song, “The Sun Began To Rain.”

Dudley was born on this date in 1935 and passed away in 2002.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalm 34:8-22

(From Heart Aflame)

“David calls upon men to stir up their senses, and to bring a palate endued with some capacity of tasting, that God’s goodness may become known to them.” Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! God certainly does nothing to prevent us from knowing of this goodness, from experiencing it firsthand, with all of our senses. When we refuse to do so, we are “infected with the common malady of dullness.”

The promise that immediately follows seals the deal. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! “For God never disappoints the expectations of those who seek his favour. Our own unbelief is the only impediment which prevents him from satisfying us largely and bountifully with abundance of all good things.”

In verse 14, the Psalmist says, “seek peace and pursue it.” “In our own personal affairs we should be meek and condescending, and endeavour, as far as it depends on us, to maintain peace, though its maintenance should prove to us a source of much trouble and inconvenience.”

In all of this, we can maintain the confidence that, “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry” (verse 15). God regards us, and will preserve us under the peace and safety of his protection. We are here directed that we should “reflect upon the providence of God, and to rest assured that [we] are safe under his wings.”

I believe it is also important to note (and the devotional book does not include any comment on this verse) verse 19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. We are not promised to be protected from affliction; rather, we are promised to be delivered out of affliction.

Father, I thank you that I have tasted and seen that you are good. This does not make me special. This is not a boast of anything that I have done that has made me better than anyone else, for I am not, and I have done nothing. It is purely by your grace and mercy that I have experienced you, that I have tasted and seen that you are good. I pray that I will continue to taste you and to know you with all of my senses. May your Spirit keep me experientially alive in you. I don’t ever want to be overcome by the “common malady of dullness,” when it comes to you. Teach me to “seek peace and pursue it.” Maintain the confidence in me that your eyes are toward us and that your ears hear our cries. You are our protector. I praise you, Father, for the truth that, even in our darkest sin, you only see us with love, thanks to the sacrifice of Christ, which paid for our sin.

Father, I pray for the current affliction that is upon this family. I pray for deliverance for my father and mother. May your healing hand of mercy give a miracle to us during this time. I pray for my father to regain strength, and that he can return, at least to the level of strength that he had before his accident, if not even stronger. You, O Lord, are capable of all things. “All things are possible with God.” Hear the prayers, O Lord, of the many who are crying out on behalf of my father. There are many who are way more righteous than me (although, in Christ, I suppose we are all equally righteous) who are crying out to you on his behalf. Hear our prayers, O Lord.

May you give us good rest on this day, and may you bring healing on Christi, as well. I pray for a good report from my mother after she visits my father at the nursing home.

I pray for Elizabeth, and praise you for the good report that was received about her. Your grace is amazing, Lord, and we praise you for it.

Grace and peace, friends.

Touch My Heart, O God!

Good morning. It is Saturday, April 18, 2015.

Today’s Word of the Day is wimple. This is a verb, meaning, “to cover with or as if with a wimple : veil,” “to ripple,” or, “(chiefly Scottish) to follow a winding course : meander.” I have a problem with the first definition. I was always taught that you never use the word, itself, in the definition of the word. Of course, “wimple” in the definition is, apparently, a noun. I like the Scottish one, though. So, with that in mind, I will continue to wimple through this blog entry.

Today, of course, is Record Store Day. Vinyl sales are booming, lately, increasing by 52% in 2014. I know I read somewhere that vinyl outsold CDs last year, but I can’t find that statistic right now. Overall album sales have declined, probably due to streaming services such as Spotify and Rhapsody (I, personally, use Rhapsody, but will purchase at least a download if I truly like the artist). 64 percent of the vinyl albums were sold at indie retailers, which is what Record Store Day is all about. So, if you have a chance, go find a record store and enjoy flipping through all of those records. By the way, I still love the smell of an old vinyl record. It’s almost as great as the smell of an old book.

My dad is supposed to get transported to the rehab center in Mineral Wells, this morning. They were going to do it last night, but my mother talked them into waiting until this morning. Good on her!!! It was storming in the area, last night, and the transport vehicle wasn’t going to arrive until somewhere between 8 and 9 PM! Waiting until this morning also works better, because, since we will be driving my mother home, we can stay with her all day today, to help her get settled back into the house and see what she needs us to help her do or get. We are currently waiting on her call to let us know when they are going to come get Dad. The rehab center contracts with a non-emergency transport service to move him.

In other news, the Red Sox and Rangers both won their games last night. The Sox beat Baltimore 3-2, while the Rangers beat Seattle 3-1. The Rangers are tied for second place, with Oakland, and the Sox are still in first place. The Evil Empire is in last place. This gives me great joy, even knowing that is still way early in the season! 😀

On this date in 1981, a professional baseball game was begun in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The game was between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings. The game took 33 innings to complete, was suspended at 4:00 AM on April 19, and completed on June 23. The Paw Sox won in the bottom of the 33rd inning, 3-2. It is the longest professional baseball game ever played. Of course, it involved the Red Sox! 😀

No time for birthdays. We’re supposed to leave the house in, like, fifteen minutes.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Psalm 34:1-7

(From Solid Joys)

Today’s reading is “God, Touch Our Hearts.”

Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.
1 Samuel 10:26

Think about what is being stated in this verse. God touched their hearts. Not a person; not their wives or children; not their priests; not their best friends. God touched their hearts.

“The One with infinite power in the universe. The One with infinite authority and infinite wisdom and infinite love and infinite goodness and infinite purity and infinite justice. That One touched their heart.”

Can you fathom the “circumference of Jupiter” touching a molecule?

“The touch of God is awesome because it is a touch. It is a real connection. That it involves the heart is awesome. That it involves God is awesome. And that it involves an actual touch is awesome.”

These men did not just hear something. They were not just inspired. “They were not just swayed by a divine influence.” God touched their hearts, and “they were not consumed.”

Would that God would touch all of us in this way!

“O for the touch of God! If it comes with fire, so be it. If it comes with water so be it. If it comes with wind, let it come, O God. If it comes with thunder and lightning, let us bow before it.”

Father, I must hurry. Forgive me for dawdling. But I pray for this touch. Touch my heart in the same way that you touched these men of Saul’s. “O Lord, come. Come that close. Burn and soak and blow and crash. Or still and small, come. Come all the way. Touch our hearts.” Touch my heart intimately. Give me that real connection with you, today. However you choose to do it. I just need your touch.

I pray for this day, Father, that everything will work out smoothly with the transfer of my dad. I pray, still, for healing and recovery. Keep us safe as we drive today. Your will be done on earth, as in heaven. Praises be to your name, O God!

May God touch all of our hearts today.

Grace and peace, friends.

Don’t Fret

Good morning. It’s July 4, 2012. We have the day off today, as it’s a holiday in the U.S. This particular July Fourth is tainted by the loss, yesterday, of an actor/singer/entertainer that was one of the last of a dying breed. R.I.P., Andy Griffith. Your legacy will live on.

(Some of these illustrations seem to have come from MAD Magazine)

Of course, today is “Independence Day.” But did you know that today is also “Sidewalk Egg Frying Day?” So says the Hallmark Ultimate Holiday app. I’ve never tried that, myself, although I’m sure it has been hot enough a time or two.

It was on this date in 1776 that the United States declared independence from Great Britain. On this date in 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died. On this date in 1927, playwright Neil Simon was born. On this date in 1855, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was published. Reported by a different source, it is also on this date in 1845 that Henry David Thoreau moved to walden Pond in Concord, MA.

I’ve been there. At that time of my life, it was the most beautiful nature scene I had ever seen. It’s still right up there.

---

Christi is feeling much better. Thanks for the prayers. We are looking forward to enjoying this day with Stephanie, Rachel, and Justin. We’re planning to cook out later, sirloin steaks, corn on the cob, asparagus with mushrooms, onions, and garlic; all cooked on the grill. You wrap pour olive oil on the asparagus, onions, mushrooms and fresh garlic, wrap it in foil, then grill it. Delicious! After that, we will have our choice of strawberries with angel cake and cool whip, mini-cupcakes that Christi brought home from work yesterday, or whatever else happens to be around. Good times.

---

Father, I pray for some inspiration today to keep me focused on you for this day. Grace for today only, is all I seek.

---

Today, I’m reading Psalm 34. This Psalm is full of great verses, offering hope to those who seek refuge in the Lord. It gives promise of deliverance to all who fall into trouble. As previously noted, the Lord never promises that we will not have trouble. However, he does promise to deliver us from trouble.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (6-7)

My favorite verse in Psalm 34 is verse 8. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! I challenge anyone who does not believe in the goodness of the Lord to “taste and see.”

---

My Utmost For His Highest

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. Psalm 37:8

“Fretting means getting out at elbows mentally or spiritually.” What?? For the life of me, I can’t find anything telling me what that means. The closest thing seemed to indicate a state where the shirt sleeves were so worn that the elbows were showing. I guess if we are fretting that much about something, then that condition would apply.
Of course, it is always easy to say things like, “Rest in the Lord,” or, “Fret not.” But then something happens. Something upsets the proverbial apple cart, and our lives get all topsy-turvy. We are suddenly thrown into tumult, and all we can seem to do is fret. I’ve been there. My apple cart has been shattered before. I’ve stood in my living room and declared that God had abandoned us. Praise his name, it was not true…I was wrong, so very wrong, and confessed the sinfulness of even thinking a thing like that. I tell you three times…God never abandons his children!
Somehow, I have to get myself into a state where I am not even able to fret. “Fret not” is one of “God’s great don’ts.” “This ‘don’t’ must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it will never work.” Here is an important statement: “Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself.” So, you see, when I was thinking that God had abandoned me, my relationship was a bit shoddy, wasn’t it? If my relationship to God is solid, I will find that I am not able to fret over anything.
“Fussing always ends in sin.” Yes. Anxiety and worry are indications of how wicked we truly are. “Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way.” Jesus never fretted over anything, because he was not here to get his own way. He was out to get his Father’s way. Here is another important statement: “Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.” Yes. Worry is always sinful! Always!! If we are truly resting in God and dwelling in his shadow, we can live our lives without fretting. There’s the challenge, isn’t it? “All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.” And that phrase segues perfectly into tomorrow’s reading.

---

Father, I confess that my mind has been scattered this morning while I’ve been reading these things. But, nevertheless, you have reinforced in me the need to stop worrying about things. Why do we worry so much? It seems to be a curse of the human nature. Everyone I know worries about something. We just can’t seem to help it. Yet you tell us not to. I pray that you will so fill my spirit in the days ahead that I will find it utterly impossible to fret. May I be so immersed in your Spirit that there is no room for anxiety. I have no desire to be wicked, Father. Yet I find wickedness in me daily. The flesh battles against the spirit every day, and this will be the case until we are brought home with you. Therefore, I pray for the help of the Spirit to be prepared for the battle each day, having put on the “armor of God” each and every day.

I thank you for your very great and precious promises, Lord. Especially the ones that I find in places like Psalm 34. Yes, there will be troubles. But you promise to bring us through them, out the other side. I believe that there are certainly times that you do protect us from trouble; there have to be, otherwise, we would always be experiencing trouble. But when you do allow trials to come into our lives, we simply must rely on you to deliver us, rather than letting anxiety fill our lives. There is the challenge, and there is my commitment, to do my best to rely on you, trusting you for all things in my life.

I pray for this day, Lord. I pray for safe travel for Rachel and Justin as they make their way to our house today. I pray that we will have a safe and joyful time this afternoon. I pray for safety for all people who travel today, and for the many fireworks displays that will be going on tonight, I pray for safety in those.

I pray for my parents today, too. Give them your grace and peace in whatever they find to do today. I also pray that we will find time to visit with them again, soon.

This morning, as I pray for our church, I pray that you continue to keep our young people safe at camp. I pray that they are experiencing you above all other things that they might experience at this camp. May they find you this week. I pray for those who don’t already know you, that they will be saved. I praise you for the report of Ava getting saved last night. For those who are there who are already in covenant relationship with you, I pray that their knowledge of you will deepen, and their relationships become more solid. May everyone there experience your peace this week.
I also pray for the leadership of our church, beginning with Zach Schroeder, the pastor of our youth. Give him extra grace this week, as he continues with the youth at camp. I praise you for his spirit and passion. This morning, I lift up Becca Bartlett, who is a leader in the children’s ministries. I know that Stephanie sometimes works with her in the preschool area during the worship celebrations. I pray that you give Becca your grace and peace as she serves. I thank you for her heart to work with children and teach them. I pray your blessings on her and her family.
May you give our leadership your clear vision on where our church is to go. I pray that they will follow only you.

I pray that the message of Christ will flourish in our world today.

Your grace is sufficient.

---

Today’s message is simple. Don’t fret. On the other hand, it’s not so simple, is it?

Grace and peace, friends.

Never Leave Nor Forsake

Well, it’s Monday again. Monday, June 4, 2012. One day closer to whatever’s next. Today is “Hug Your Cat Day.” So go ahead…hug your cat. But be careful. Cats that don’t like hugs are very dangerous. It was on this date in 1989 that the Tiananmen Square Massacre took place in central Beijing. It was also on this date in 1919 that Congress passed the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote.
Sadly, I heard yesterday that on Saturday, we lost one of (in my opinion) the greatest game show hosts ever. Richard Dawson has died at the age of 79.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. Stephanie had a great day, visiting with a horse that belongs to some good friends from church. These folks have been so kind to Stephanie since we have been going to The Exchange, and have had quite a positive impact on her. Thank you so much Summer and Terry Guilliams! Christi, Steph, and I went to the first of a continuing series of prayer meetings last night. It was a good meeting, and I look forward to going to more. We believe strongly in the power of prayer, and agree with our pastor that the area is in need of praying churches. There were some powerful moments in last night’s meeting, one of which occurred as we gathered around people who need some kind of physical healing and prayed for them. Our pastor is not a “faith healer,” by any stretch of the imagination, and he acknowledges, as do I, that sometimes God chooses to heal, and other times he allows suffering. We don’t pretend to understand his ways, but we know that he can heal those who are afflicted. As several of us gathered around our primary sound engineer, I felt a very strong sense of God’s presence!
After our prayer meeting, I took Stephanie to an “end of the year” party for our ECHO student ministry. She had a great time. Today, if all things go as planned, we will get Stephanie’s high school diploma from Keller High School. Tonight, we will celebrate, just the three of us. Next Sunday, we hope to have a family gathering to celebrate. Also, yesterday, Christi officially accepted the offer from Supermedia, and her start date will be a week from today, June 11. She is being given, in addition to her salary, a small bonus for coming back, with the contingency that she remain employed by Supermedia for at least 12 months. We’re cool with that.

---

Father, I pray that you would show me something of yourself today, and please teach me how to immerse myself in your Spirit, allowing the Spirit to have reign over my life.

---

It dawned on me this morning that I have forgotten to begin reading my Psalms every morning. So I will begin this morning. Since it is June 4, I will read Psalms 4, 34, 64, 94, and 124 today.

As we have talked about prayer recently, and begun a new series of prayer meetings, I believe it’s appropriate that Psalm 4 begins like this: Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
Psalm 34 is one of my favorites. There are many verses of deliverance in this Psalm, stating that, even though we may experience many trials and fears, God will deliver us from them. The chapter is highlighted, in my opinion, by verse 8: Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
The last verse of Psalm 124 says this: Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

---

My Utmost For His Highest

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Chambers only quotes the last half of this verse, but I chose to include the whole verse. What line of thinking is most prominent in me? Does my mind turn to what God says, or does it focus on what I fear? It’s Monday morning…I’m having a hard time fighting off worry that I’m going to get to work and find a route still sitting that should have left hours ago. What has God said? “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Because of that, I can boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me!”
God has said he will not fail me, even with “all my sin and selfishness and stubbornness and waywardness,” God will not forsake me! Have I truly listened to God telling me this? I need to listen again.
Can I hear the Lord telling me this when life is on an even keel? During the drudgery of the day-to-day work place, day in, day out, doing the same thing every day, do I hear the Lord telling me that he will never fail me, never leave me, never forsake me? This is God’s “say-so.” And when I have this behind me, “the most amazing strength comes, and [I] learn to sing in the ordinary days and ways.” I don’t need God to do some grand, extraordinary thing to know that he is glorifying himself right here, right now.

---

Father, it is with great comfort that I read these words, that you will never leave me nor forsake me! Truly, I can boldly say, because of this, that you are my helper, and that I will not fear anything that man can do to me. May my mind, my thoughts, not be preoccupied with that which causes fear within me. Your perfect love casts out fear. My help is in your name, O Lord; you, the maker of heaven and earth stand beside. Your angel encamps around me and delivers me from my fears. I have tasted and seen that you, O Lord, are good! Therefore, I will never leave you. I will never turn away from you, as I have seen friends do over the years. You have given me faith that, although it might wane, from time to time, will never fall away. By the power of your Holy Spirit, you make me strong.

Father, I lift up the prayer meetings that have begun at The Exchange. I pray for the leadership of our body of believers, that they will be sensitive to your directions. May our church go the direction you want it to go. I know there is power in prayer. I do believe that, for some reason, when believers pray together, it seems more powerful. While I will not pray for specific numbers, I will pray for the gospel to be spread effectively by the ministries of our church. I pray for families to be strengthened, marriages to be healed, afflictions to be healed, and for your power to be known in the area of our church. I pray for revival at The Exchange as we gather to pray in your name. I pray for revival in the DFW area, and pray that other churches will suddenly be inspired by your Spirit to pray together more. May the church leaders be sensitive to your Spirit and have true prayer meetings, not just another sermon at a different time. Let it be for prayer.

I pray for this day, Father. Protect Christi today. She has not yet decided how she will handle her departure from Sabre. She may not work this whole week. I pray for wisdom for her and protection from the hostile environment that exists at that place. I pray that she will be able to adequately express the truth to the HR department when she does leave, that there is “corporate bullying” going on in that work environment. I pray, also that she will encounter much less stress at the new/old job environment. May we have a great week this week, as a family, celebrating Stephanie’s graduation from high school!

Your grace is sufficient. I pray for my continuing prayer time as I driver to work this morning. Help me remember everyone I need to pray for.

---

Take great comfort this morning. Our God will never leave us, nor forsake us! We can count on that!

Grace and peace, friends.